Computer systems, such as notebook and desktop personal computers, have a certain number of port connectors for connection to external devices, such as printers, scanner, keyboards, pointing devices, cameras and many others. Since the devices are external to the computer systems, the port connectors are externally accessible. The external area of the computer systems has a finite amount of space for only a certain number of port connectors. However, there has been an almost unending proliferation of the number and types of devices that may be connected to the computer systems. To accommodate the increasing number of devices that may be connected to the computer systems, computer makers have attempted to increase the number of port connectors that are available in the computer systems.
One way to increase the number of port connectors is to increase the size of the housing for the computer system, so there is more external area for the port connectors. However, there are limitations on the acceptable footprint size of computer systems. Notebook computers, for instance, must by definition be relatively small. Additionally, desktop computers are expected not to take up too much space on or under a user's workspace.
Another way to increase the number of port connectors is to decrease the size of the port connectors, so more connectors can fit along the external area of the computer system. The Universal Serial Bus (USB) and IEEE 1394 standards, for example, were specifically developed in part to use relatively small port connectors. However, the strength of materials for the port connectors and the quality of electrical signals passing through the port connectors place effective physical limits on reductions in the size of the port connectors.
Another way to increase the number of port connectors is to use more of the available external area of the computer systems. In particular, desktop computers, which have historically included port connectors only in the back of the computer housing, have begun to include additional port connectors on the front of the computer housing. Regardless, the available surface area is still limited.
Another way to increase the number of port connectors is for a user to insert into the computer system one or more additional cards having additional port connectors. For example, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) card, or other circuit board, having one or more port connectors may be inserted by a user into an available slot in a desktop computer system, so that the port connectors are externally accessible. Similarly, a PC Card or PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International) card having a port connector (or that is a port connector) may be inserted by a user into an available slot in a notebook computer. PC Cards having “Xjack” features, for example, have been used to add modem and network port connectors to notebook computers. The additional cards, however, use up slots that are not then available for other devices. Furthermore, the additional cards are independent from the computer system and are another item to be carried by the user.
Another way to increase the number of port connectors is to use an external port “hub.” The port hub provides multiple port connectors for multiple devices, but connects to only one port connector in the computer system. Thus, the port hub effectively “splits” the existing port connector in the computer system into more than one port connector. The port hub, however, takes up a portion of the user's workspace and adds to the number of items that a mobile user must carry.